| Author | Message | ||
     Vegasbueller |
I haven't been here much lately, and I haven't ridden much lately. Why? Many reasons. One is that I am working 40+ hours of overtime a week. I have spent more weeks in Las Vegas working than I have at home playing. This did lead to my latest purchase. My last round of OT allowed me to finally buy my dream camera. I now own a Canon Rebel XTi, and the two kit lenses that came with it. I also invested in a Metz flash and Photoshop CS2. For you guys that do photography for a living or a serious hobby....where did you learn how? I am taking a few courses at the local Wolf store on the weekends, and maybe a few at the local CC when we slow down a bit. I have always used Paint Shop Pro 7 for editing although I never have been able to master all the tools. I have found a world of information on Photoshop now so that lead me to that purchase. Anyway, I would love to talk "shop" here or off list if anyone is interested. Nick | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
I've been using Photoshop for 11 years now. I'm still learning all the tricks and tools. I'm looking at buying that Rebel, my company just did and its very nice. Congrats. | ||
| Vegasbueller |
Thanks! I've been wanting a DLSR for years and years. I have shot 1000's of pics with a Casio QV3000 point and shoot, and was ready to take that step up. It has been worth every dime. | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
Vegas, Learning Photoshop is like learning a foreign language, and it takes about as long. I learned how to use it by buying a set of tutorial discs from "Total Training.com", but there are many, many out there, both from Photoshop, and others, free, and for sale. Photoshop isnn't something you can "pick up" like Word. It really needs concentrated training if you want to make use of all or most of its potential. It is one of the most complex programs available. The up side is that the only limits on what you can do is your own imagination. | ||
| Buellinachinashop |
PS is fun as hell.  | ||
| Danger_dave |
Experience is handy - I've been using it professionally since you had to change floppy discs to change fonts. The full blown creatives take a while to master - if you just want to manipulate and correct photos it's not that tough. Get a couple of shots, make them reasonably low res - and start seeing what the menus do. Most of what you need to start with is in the 'image' menu. And Unsharp mask filter is our friend. | ||
| Vegasbueller |
Thanks guys. I am sure I will have plenty of pics to play around with. I have found so many interests/uses for it from the High def layered images to simple post processing of portraits. I am not a pro by any means, I do however, want to be able to turn out some pro results. | ||
| Danger_dave |
And then when you do get is sussed - as stated - unlimited.    | ||
| Etennuly |
That last one is frekkin' awesome! My kids have a hard time knowing what is real vs imaginary, because they have seen this stuff all of their lives. Makes the first real CG stuff like Star Wars look crude. | ||
| Vegasbueller |
Awesome Dave! I'd love to hear a rundown on how you did the last one! Nick | ||
| Interest |
As far as taking quality portraits/landscapes, I recommend using the camera in RAW mode, then using photoshop to adjust the parameters such as shutter speed/aperature. RAW mode is the data of what comes through the lens, prior to being processed by the camera's own "settings" so to speak. It pulls the data from the camera on what passed through the lens, then the image file can be transposed through photoshop to get the correct lighting/contrast/grain...etc. It does take more time to learn the correct ways of operating Photoshop, but the possibilities are greater than with a pre-set ap/shutter setting. Also beware that it uses much more memory to take a picture, up to 4 times greater file sizes than in "auto" mode. | ||
| Court |
I shoot EVERYTHING in RAW. My first step is a simply Capture conversion to JPEG. I work the the JPEG's (I've never opened my CS2 and don't use my Nikon Capture . . I will someday. . . when I have lots of time to study) and I make adjustments in JPEG. The RAW assures me that at least I have that cherished 10MB file of every shot. Just walked in from shooting in front of the house. . . .getting ready to process and will post a few for those of you who haven't seen New York City. | ||
| Danger_dave |
 'ish' - look at the number on the bike dopey! doh. | ||
| Danger_dave |
>>I shoot EVERYTHING in RAW. << 'In the Raw' - in Australian parlance - means to be naked. signed, Anxious in the Antipodes. | ||
| Vegasbueller |
Great Dave! Thanks! MY CS2 should be here this week. I can hardly wait. And we'll leave the naked photo work to Court. | ||
| Road_thing |
>>I shoot EVERYTHING in RAW. << My eyes!! My eyes!! rt Court: Thanks for the birthday "card!" | ||
| Tommy_black_shark |
Photoshop has a lot of things you can do with it. The work above is amazing, I hope someday to be able to get close to that level of quality. I just started playing with it this week and my first attempt was for our church "social", (Yep, its TWO Tommy)  | ||
| Vegasbueller |
That's cool! I hope that's your kid you did that to!  I'm still waiting on my CS2 to show up in the mail. Right now I am playing with Paint Shop Pro 9. It is just hard to get a lot of documentation or people who use it to help you along. | ||
| Tommy_black_shark |
That's cool! I hope that's your kid you did that to! Thanks, yep thats my boy, the (in)famous TWO Tommy. He's been riding since he was about 2 & 1/2. Here he is on his Mom's bike at the 100th (he rode with me on my Dresser). Currently he has been to 28 states and likes zoomin' on "his" Uly the best. He had a broken arm at this year's March Badness and spent most of his time entertaining the ladies.  | ||
| Sanchez |
I've learned a great deal just from reading on the web and from plain old trial and error. The more you shoot, the more you see what works and what doesn't. Here's my favorite photography forum: http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/ I mostly shoot motorcycles (surprise, surprise).         | ||
| Slaughter |
There are a gazillion discussion groups which offer peer-reviewing online. Spend time on your photo skills and NOT on photoshop! Most stores have photography classes but if you don't go that route, read up on composition (especially the concept of "negative space") and lighting. NO amount of photoshop skills can make up for marginal technique and bad composition. Remember, if you're taking shots of tentative or moving subjects, the most important thing in the image is that you have to BE THERE! Get out and shoot your assoff! Have fun and find sources where you can have your work peer-reviewed. There is nothing that will do more to improve your work than critical review. Find photo clubs in your area - serious clubs organize outings, hold meetings and presentations. Wait on photoshop - get your photo technique down first. I actually am a dinosaur with my cameras and shoot film - black and white for above water (medium format) and slides on scuba (35mm). I have a couple film scanners for slides and negatives I can use IF I need a digital image. I have won some awards and still do some stuff on film that can't be done on digital (yet) (that being said, I'm this |...| close to buying a D80 Nikon) (Message edited by slaughter on July 07, 2007) | ||
| Slaughter |
Hey Nick (sorry for the off-topic) We get up to Vegas a couple times each year for track days, racing and visiting family (neice runs Enterprise there on the Strip) I'll let you know next time we're up in town and see if you're there. Be good to see you again! | ||
| Danger_dave |
>>still do some stuff on film that can't be done on digital (yet) << Such as? Double exposure is the only thing I've found so far. (that being said, I'm this |...| close to buying a D80 Nikon) If you are a fine artist - then you may find you continue to use them occaasionally. Do it do it do it. If you are like me. I had beautiful film cameras. I zipped their case closed in about 2001 and they are now buried under the stairs. Junk. (Message edited by danger_dave on July 07, 2007) | ||
| Tommy_black_shark |
I actually am a dinosaur with my cameras and shoot film God bless silver halide! | ||
| Slaughter |
Available light, low light, fine grain (silver halide, you betchya) Also long exposure night shots - light painted. I still have a freezer of APS25 in 35 and 120 Most of my above water is medium format now, underwatr is still 35mm but my Subal housing designed for the N70 will take a D80 just nicely. Underwater you really don't have the air available to take all the shots that digital offers. I say that if I'm using a machine gun approach to getting an image, I really need to spend more time understanding composition. That being said, that D80 is calling to me. Oh, my other perversion is hand-cutting Minox microfilm. Shooting Kodak Techpan for a lot of daylight pics just for the challenge. Pic at the link is taken on microfilm. Image is taken on a 50 year old camera and the frame is 6 x 11 mm (teeny) - pic with available light, backlight - look at the rivet details and then imagine a camera 1 x 3 inches in size that can hide in the palm of your hand. Pic is about life sized.  http://villagephotos.com/members/viewimage.asp?id_ =16387596 Got more but there's still much to be done with film but digital's coming around. Unless you're doing silver halide, glass plate... in which case digital can NEVER equal chemical development/processing | ||
| Danger_dave |
Cool! If I told some of my mates I enjoy painting with light they'd think I was drunk.         post some up! | ||
| Mr_grumpy |
I am deeply envious, but know I could never approach that. I have a hard time getting people's feet & head in the same shot! | ||
| Slaughter |
Don't have many images at home here but... Pic below is Kermit Weeks' B-25 which was restored and being ferried to Florida on 9/11 when the FAA grounded ALL aircraft. I was able to walk out on the ramp here, setup the tripod - that is TriX film - f22 - about a minute and a half exposure. I was dressed in black sweats and walking around with a hand-held strobe popping off bursts of light in front of parts of the image I wanted emphasized. Image is scanned from the negative. Fun way to shoot - almost makes photography an athletic event. There are about 10 strobe shots in that one image - knowing that I had to "compete" with the back-lighting.  It will print to about a 16 x 20 (haven't tried larger) and detail is excellent even under a 10x eye loupe. Next is of a Japanese Army tank in about 30 feet of water off of Rabaul, Papua New Guinea - actually a poor scan off of an 8x10 print  I don't really ever present in digital media - usually printed/framed. This is Dana Tai Soon Burgess during rehearsals at the Kennedy Center - obviously available light but trying to capture the dancing AND get the visual image that the stage lighting designer (Jennifer Tipton) was trying to achieve just wouldn't work any other way. That's why it's so rare to see pics taken of stage productions which are representative of the actual image as seen by the audience.  Image below is the same tank off of Rabaul in which I placed a strobe behind the turret - set to fire in "slave" mode, swam off the front and set down on the ocean floor. This is a close-focus/wide angle shot from about 20-ish feet away so the strobe on the camera wouldn't burn out the image but I had hoped to get an interesting image with the strobe behind the turret.  OK - I gotta go back to discussions on that new water-cooled bike! | ||
| Tommy_black_shark |
I seem to remember being told that however good digital photography ever got it would by definition never be capable of continuous tone. And that silver/silver, especially with the T-grains of the '80s perfected was continuous to whatever size they wanted to make it. I used to eat lunch with the guys who made the huge transparencies for Grand Central Station in New York. They usually started with a 35mm frame, one time to prove a point they started with a dISC frame! | ||
| Danger_dave |
>>I don't really ever present in digital media - usually printed/framed. << I see - whereas I'm from the Warhol school of disposable. I attack from an entirely mass production angle and getting it on as many sheets of paper as easy as possible. Andy once said 'My idea of a good photograph is one that is in focus - and has a famous person in it'. Apart from painting with light - speed blur is my other target - got some jobs on then I'll dig some out. |
